Ontario's 2015 Agri-Food Trade Mission to China has resulted in increased exports for Ontario products in China and new investment opportunities for Ontario agri-food companies.
Ministers Jeff Leal and Michael Chan recently concluded the province's first ever Minister-led agricultural trade mission, accompanied by 20 Ontario businesses and organizations. Over the course of the mission, the ministers and delegates promoted trade opportunities in Ontario to over 300 Chinese agri-food companies and government officials who participated in seminars, roundtables and individual meetings.
Some of the agreements secured during this mission include:
- Futurevic Global Sourcing and Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy Company signed a Letter of Intent to purchase $2 million worth of Ontario maple products over the next two years. This agreement will help build the overseas appetite for Ontario maple syrup and maple products, including maple butter, taffy, candy, sauces and maple sap drinks.
- Ontario's Pillitteri Estates Winery and China-based Hare Wine Company signed a $6 million agreement that will bring more Ontario Icewine to China and help meet the growing demand for this signature Ontario product. The investment from Hare Wine Company will establish a new vineyard and build a new winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
- Ontario's Vineland Estates Winery announced a new wine retailing and distribution agreement with its long-term Chinese partner, L'Huillier Wine Company. The agreement will see more than $1 million of the winery's products sold in China in the coming year.
The Ontario Agri-Food Trade Mission to China is part of Ontario's plan to meet the Premier's Agri-Food Growth Challenge, which calls on the sector to double its rate of growth and create 120,000 new jobs by 2020.
Helping Ontario's agri-food businesses compete globally is part of the government's economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people's talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
Source: OMAFRA